ABC, CBS, and NBC's morning shows on Monday all used news briefs to highlight how home improvement giant Lowe's is "facing a backlash" after it pulled its ads from TLC's All-American Muslim reality TV series. All three noted that the company reacted to a complaint from a "conservative" or "Christian" group who threatened a boycott. CBS's Early Show played up how Lowe's "critics call that bigotry."
NBC's Natalie Morales stated in her brief that the chain is "sparking outrage after its pulled its ads from a reality show about American Muslims. The retail giant bowed to pressure from an evangelical Christian group, which called for a boycott against the chain of home improvement stores." Morales added that a "California state senator, meanwhile, says he is considering a boycott and legislative action if the company does not reverse its decision."
Josh Elliott on ABC's Good Morning America used the "facing a backlash" line and continued that "Lowe's pulled the ads from TLC's 'All-American Muslim,' after a conservative Christian group complained that the show, which follows families from a Detroit suburb, is Islamic propaganda."
CBS's Terrell Brown's outlined how Lowe's is "being criticized for pulling ads from a reality television series about Muslim-Americans" during his news brief on The Early Show, and noted that "when a Florida conservative group complained, Lowe's withdrew its commercials. Critics call that bigotry, and are threatening to boycott Lowe's."
The Associated Press reported on Monday [1] that "the retail giant stopped advertising on...'All-American Muslim' after a conservative group known as the Florida Family Association complained, saying the program was 'propaganda that riskily hides the Islamic agenda's clear and present danger to American liberties and traditional values.'" It later specified that "Sen. Ted Lieu, D-Torrance, told The Associated Press he would also consider legislative action if Lowe's doesn't apologize to Muslims and reinstate its ads." The AP also reported that "Dawud Walid, Michigan director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, said his group felt 'extreme disappointment' at Lowe's 'capitulation to bigotry.'"
All three morning programs clearly identified the group as either "conservative" or "Christian." By contrast, when the Big Three networks first covered the Occupy Wall Street protests during the first 11 days of October 2011 [2], only once did one of their reporters label them "liberal."
The transcripts of the news briefs on ABC's Good Morning America, NBC's Today show, and CBS's Early Show, all of which ran during the lead 7 am Eastern half hour:
07:03 am EST
JOSH ELLIOTT (from ABC's "Good Morning America"): And home improvement chain Lowe's is facing a backlash this morning after pulling ads from a reality television show about American Muslims. Lowe's pulled the ads from TLC's 'All-American Muslim,' after a conservative Christian group complained that the show, which follows families from a Detroit suburb, is Islamic propaganda. Lowe's has since apologized, but isn't saying whether it will bring back the ads.
07:13 am
NATALIE MORALES (from NBC's "Today"): And Lowe's home improvement is sparking outrage after its pulled its ads from a reality show about American Muslims on The Learning Channel. The retail giant bowed to pressure from an evangelical Christian group, which called for a boycott against the chain of home improvement stores. Lowe's apologized for making some people very unhappy on Sunday, but it did not say if it would reinstate its ads. A California state senator, meanwhile, says he is considering a boycott and legislative action if the company does not reverse its decision.
07:15 am
TERRELL BROWN (from CBS's "Early Show"): The Lowe's home-improvement chain is being criticized for pulling ads from a reality television series about Muslim-Americans. 'All-American Muslims' [sic] premiered on The Learning Channel last month. When a Florida conservative group complained, Lowe's withdrew its commercials. Critics call that bigotry, and are threatening to boycott Lowe's.